Studies in the News is a very current compilation of items significant to the Legislature and Governor's Office. It is created weekly by the State Library's Research Bureau to supplement the public policy debate in California’s Capitol. To help share the latest information with state policymakers, these reading lists are now being made accessible through the State Library’s website. This week's list of current articles in various public policy areas is presented below.

Service to State Employees:

When available, the URL for the full text of each item is provided.

Items in the State Library collection can be checked out to state officials and staff.

Access to all materials listed will be provided by the State Information Reference Center, either by e-mail to cslsirc@library.ca.gov or by calling 654-0261.

["The valuation of environmental damages can play an important role in establishing environmental policy and regulatory standards, and can provide guidance in targeting mitigation efforts.... The goal of this paper is to determine whether the existing estimates are reasonable for use in decisionmaking, such as cost-benefit analysis, and to compare alternative methods of estimating these values."]

["A report predicts that global living standards will fall rapidly from 2030 unless urgent action is taken to address unsustainable consumption patterns.... For the first time WWF projects future trends in ecological footprint based on United Nations forecasts for human population, carbon dioxide emissions and resource consumption. Without considering constraints, it calculates that excess consumption will balloon to between 80 percent and 120 percent of the Earth's carrying capacity by 2050." Environmental News Service (July 12, 2002) 1.]

["The University of California at Merced campus and community doesn't jeopardize any threatened or endangered species at the site, according to the biological opinion of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.... Jim Nickles of the Fish and Wildlife Service said while the approval 'doesn't give UC Merced a green light,' the finding that the project doesn't endanger any plants or animals is a good step. The 'no jeopardy' opinion moves the university closer to obtaining a federal permit to fully develop the campus planned near Lake Yosemite." Modesto Bee (August 27, 2002) A1.]

["The proposals for Clean Growth (demand-side programs and renewables) outlined in this Plan can help keep rates stable and power flow reliable. However, the California Power Authority wants to emphasize that the Plan is a work in progress that will benefit from legislative hearings and further scrutiny by the many stakeholders who have a continuing interest in developing and implementing cost-effective and environmentally sound solutions to current and future gaps in the system."]

["Measured from cornfield to the fuel tank, ethanol provides more energy than is consumed in producing it, researchers said in a new report that could figure in congressional debate over U.S. energy policy.... Foes -- including California and New York senators -- object that ethanol is too costly to compete with petroleum without the benefit of federal subsidies and is an overall energy drain. A Cornell University researcher last year calculated a loss of 33,562 British thermal units for every gallon of ethanol produced." Reuters (August 7, 2002) 1.]

["An environmental group filed a legal complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, demanding that the agency deny Scotts Co.'s request to sell a grass seed that has been genetically engineered to resist Monsanto Corp.'s Roundup herbicide...The group said the bioengineered grass could cross-pollinate with wild grasses, potentially creating herbicide-resistant superweeds....The USDA has not decided whether to let Scotts sell the bioengineered grass and it is likely to be several months before the agency acts." San Francisco Chronicle (August 2, 2002) B1.]

["Study Uncertain How Rising Mercury Will Hurt Fisheries: The report said warmer temperatures worldwide will cause sea levels to rise, increase the risk of coastal flooding or drought and alter wind and water circulation patterns.... Higher temperatures are expected to increase the rate of sea-level rise along the Louisiana coast, which already loses about 25 square miles of wetlands a year." Associated Press State and Local Wire. (August 15, 2002) 1.]

["Numerous pests known or anticipated to be damaging ... are listed.... Each newly introduced pest requires that societal resources be expended to combat the pest through eradication, control, and/or management.... A coordinated network of professional societies and state and national governmental entities [is]needed to cut across jurisdictional lines and to permit timely response to reported invasions."]

["Demand for natural gas used to generate electricity in the United States is projected to double in the next two decades.... This paper summarizes developments in North American natural gas markets that are likely to have serious impacts on society and the role that development of renewable energy resources can play to reduce these impacts."]

["The biggest polluters in the United States and Canada are Texas, Ohio, Ontario, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Indiana.... The top six polluting states and provinces, all of them except Texas in the Great Lakes region, account for 35 percent of the total pollution.... The report shows industrial pollution released into the North American environment has decreased slightly in recent years but producers send more of it to landfills and other off-site facilities." Associated Press (May 30, 2002) 1.]

[“National standards for using sewage sludge as fertilizer are based on outdated science, a panel of scientists concluded in a report…. The result is lingering concerns about health and environmental risks in using treated sewage sludge on farmland…. The report urges the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to revisit its rules on sludge. And it said the EPA should study whether treated sewage sludge poses a health risk for workers or residents living near sludge-spread fields.” The Bakersfield Californian (July 2, 2002) 1.]